The Rooster and Waffle Salad at Millers All Day goes for $16. | Photographs courtesy of Millers All Day.
Within the kitchens of Charleston, South Carolina-based Millers All Day, Govt Chef Jeff Allen watched quite a lot of waffles get tossed into the trash on the finish of the day.
“We make waffles contemporary each day for breakfast and brunch, however there are all the time leftovers that don’t get served,” stated Allen. Millers operates from 8 a.m-3 p.m. weekdays and till 4 p.m. on weekends at its two areas.
Upset by the waste, the chef had the concept of chopping the waffles into small squares to create croutons, after which deconstructing that Southern consolation traditional—hen and waffles—right into a salad.
Croutons as start line
Allen rescued the unused waffles and the subsequent day, reduce them into small squares and deep-fried them in batches. The day-old waffles cooked up good and crispy.
From there, he turned to the hen. “I needed a unique taste profile and selected Nashville scorching as an alternative of traditional fried hen,” he stated. He brines 5-ounce hen breasts, coats them with a breading enhanced with Nashville scorching seasoning, then fries and slices the hen.
To tie collectively the 2 fried elements, Allen tried tossing them in scorching honey—a condiment that has change into ubiquitous on restaurant menus over the past yr or so. However he needed to deliver it to the subsequent stage, he stated.
Common honey proved too candy, however then the chef considered hickory syrup, an area specialty. Millers prides itself on sourcing native merchandise, together with low-country shrimp, microgreens, mushrooms and eggs. And the grits are from Marsh Hen Mill on Edisto Island, South Carolina, owned by one of many companions within the eating places.
Allen blended the hickory syrup with a bit of shaved black truffle and truffle oil, and a few drizzles of the sweet-savory syrup achieved the best taste end result.
He additionally needed so as to add nuts to the salad for textural distinction and tried pistachios—one other trending ingredient. “The pistachios didn’t have the flavour I used to be on the lookout for,” stated Allen. Almonds proved to be the only option.
To finish the ingredient lineup, he turned to bacon, which is plentiful in Millers’ pantry. He reduce the bacon strips into small cubes, cooked them into lardons, and the scale, form and taste labored completely with the salad greens, hen, croutons and different elements.
The dressing was the ultimate addition. Allen tried ranch at first—undoubtedly the most well-liked dressing and sauce in America—however he needed so as to add extra complexity to the salad. He created a house-made blue cheese-style dressing by bringing in gorgonzola dolce, a flavorful however barely sweeter cheese in the identical blue household.
Home-made dressing options gorgonzola dolce cheese.
Millers new Rooster and Waffle Salad sells for $16 and “has change into the most well-liked salad on the menu,” stated Allen.
Discovering the best menu combine
With this merchandise, Millers now has three composed salads on the menu; the opposite two are a Discipline Pea Panzanella Salad (Marsh Hen subject peas, radishes, pickled candy peppers and onions, home lettuces, croutons, whipped feta, balsamic glaze and herb French dressing) and a combined inexperienced salad made with native greens. Allen has additionally launched a fan-favorite referred to as the King Avenue Bowl, a combo of scrambled eggs, crimson corn grits, house-made sausage, pimento cheese, residence fries and sausage gravy.
The all-day meals menu has about 30 gadgets, together with blue plates supplied weekly at a value-priced $13, however Allen is trying to streamline the menu a bit, he stated.
Drinks are additionally a draw. On the alcohol facet there are mimosa flights, bloody Marys, frozen drinks and seasonal cocktails. South Carolina regulation dictates that eating places can’t serve exhausting spirits till after 10 a.m., however friends are prepared as quickly because the clock strikes—even on weekdays. The downtown Charleston location will get a tourist-heavy crowd.
Subsequent month Allen is participating in a Charleston Wine + Meals occasion referred to as “Breakfast Bites and Boozy Drinks” the place he’ll showcase some new concepts, downsized as handed hors d’oeuvres. Within the works are arancini made with Carolina Gold rice, an area supply of delight, and a few sandwiches.
